Join the Charleston Symphony Chorus
About the Chorus and our Rehearsal schedules:
The Charleston Symphony Chorus is an all-volunteer, auditioned chorus that serves the greater Charleston area. We are actively seeking new members in all sections as we grow to meet the expanding expectations of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Artistic Director, Maestro Yuriy Bekker. Most of our performances with the symphony are in the Gaillard performance Hall in downtown Charleston. We are looking for folks with broad choral experience who are willing to spend the time to perform at the highest levels of artistic expression in challenging choral arrangements. We generally rehearse from 7-9 PM on Tuesday evenings during the performance season (late-August through early June, but hours are subject to change). We rehearse in the sanctuary at John Wesley United Methodist Church, 626 Savannah Highway, Charleston SC 29407.
Auditions:
Auditions are scheduled in August and January, and should take no more than 10 minutes. Auditions are in person. Fall 2024 auditions are on Tuesday August 20, 6-9 PM in the sanctuary at John Wesley United Methodist Church, 626 Savannah Highway, Charleston SC 29407.
Please bring two copies of a short classical/choral solo piece for the audition (one for you and one for our accompanist). You will be asked to sing about one to three minutes of it. Sight reading of a hymn also will be included. (The pianist will play the other three parts of the hymn; you will sing your part.) The audition also will include some scales, intervals and dynamics to determine your vocal skills, range, ability to sing on pitch and blend.
Expectations of Chorus Members:
The annual dues to sing with the Charleston Symphony Chorus are $80. Our singers are also strongly encouraged to help sell tickets or other activities in support of our mission. It is expected that all singers will attend all regular rehearsals and 100% of all dress rehearsals for a performance. Attendance is tracked and used to determine eligibility to perform in a given concert. Absence from more than 25% of the rehearsals or the mandatory dress rehearsal will preclude participation in that concert. That's typically 2 or 3 permitted absences for a performance.
Health Guidelines as Covid19 is now endemic:
We encourage you to stay up to date on your vaccines for Covid, the flu, and RSV. We ask new members if they got the Covid19 vaccine, but the vaccine is not required. We’re doing this so we have sense of how widespread vaccination remains (it was 100% when we required vaccination until the end of the 2023-24 season) in case local covid levels rise to a point of concern. If that happens, we may require masking and distancing, particularly in the run up to a performance. We are contracted by the symphony and need to ensure we provide a hi quality chorus. The MUSC epidemiology page still monitors Covid19, flu, and RSV levels in the Charleston area (https://web.musc.edu/coronavirus-updates/epidemiology-project).
Why join?
Our members are young and old, and everything in-between. We share one thing in common, and that’s a passion for singing and sharing fine choral music with the community. That’s what has kept this Chorus strong since 1978.